Is Strongbrook REIC a Scam?

So you have heard about Strongbrook from an online forum or maybe someone you know introduced you to it.

But, you are skeptical because this company has a referral network-marketing side to spread the word about the services they provide and you aren’t quite comfortable with it.

On top of that you have maybe even heard horror stories about the company’s founder Kris Krohn being reviewed by the SEC……GASP!

I respectfully ask that you hold your final decision until after you have read this article tackling the burning question of, “Is Strongbrook REIC a Scam?”.

Finally you are going to get some straight talk whether Strongbrook REIC is a Scam or not.

As a rule of thumb, for me anyways, before engaging in any business transaction with a service provider you should always ascertain how they make money from your patronage.

Strongbrook is a multi-faceted company with many different services offered to clients.

Not a single program is mandatory. You can pick and choose which ones you want to engage or work with them all and create a truly powerful investment portfolio, business, cash management system, and personal development journey.

Let’s break it down:

1) Membership

There is a one-time purchase or enrollment fee for the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) which affords you access to Strongbrook’s robust team of professionals all over the country to design and implement your Financial Game Plan.

Depending on which plan you choose will determine how many real estate transactions with the “team” you can do. You can always upgrade in the future.

This service is optional.

2) Real Estate

With each property you purchase through the organization you will be charged typical fees or points for originating each mortgage; usually 1-2 points.

In addition there may be applicable coordination fees per transaction as well. Having team members and partners nation-wide is not cheap and in order to maintain and organize this large team fees are in place to keep those relationships ship-shape.

If a real estate agent who assists you in your purchase is a Strongbrook agent then there may be a potential fee there as well, though in most real estate transactions the seller of the property typically pays those fees.

Special Note: Whether you chose to use Strongbrook or not you will still be paying many of these same fees to your realtor, loan originator and others. The difference is that with Strongbrook all these professionals are working for you in accomplishing your goals which have been mapped out with your personal project manager.

This service is optional.

3) Strongbrook Direct

This is completely optional and is a choice for anyone regardless if you are a transacting real estate client or if you are not and just want to build an income using this unique platform.

Participation as an Independent Business Developer or IBD will require a one time enrollment fee of around 100-500$ and then a monthly fee of around 20-100$ depending on the program you select.

These fees grant you access to custom marketing websites, ongoing training, and most importantly keeps you eligible for any and all commissions you may earn working the direct-network-marketing side of the company.

This service is optional.

4) Legal Entity Set-Up

Strongbrook has partnered with a top-notch attorney group who will set-up a legal entity and provide applicable training for operating and maintaining that entity. These legal entities are used to protect you and your investment property should someone legal action be taken against you.

The fees paid for this service is to the attorney’s office who provides the service.

This service is optional.

5) Cash Management via Maximum Funded Whole Life Policies

Agents who work for Strongbrook may receive fees for the set-up of cash management policies. Or you may be directed to an outside partner provider in which case you would pay that service provider. If you are skeptical or curious or flat out believe life insurance is not good for anything then please check out Nelson Nash’s original work.

This service is optional.

6) Mentoring Program

Strongbrook is more than just real estate. They believe in abundant living in all aspects of life.

To facilitate this vision they have partnered with many high quality individuals to impart of their knowledge and wisdom to Strongbrook clients.

The fees for this service are paid to Strongbrook.

This service is optional.

This is only a quick summary and I am sure I have missed some small fees you can expect to pay when you engage Strongbrook’s services.

Now let’s address the direct, network, multi-level marketing aspect of this company.

Why did they go this route?

The reason they switched from traditional marketing to a direct word-of-mouth model is because nearly all of their new clients were coming from current client referrals.

For business purposes it makes perfect sense to thus save millions of dollars by stopping unproductive traditional marketing and redirecting that money to clients who are bringing in new business.

This also provided a wonderful opportunity for those who couldn’t join at the high PSA price to earn-while-they-learn and progress towards being able to transact real estate.

Unfortunately in the past there have been countless people who saw the power in what Strongbrook offers its paying clients and they have literally been turned away and told they cannot participate because they lacked the funds.

Now everyone and anyone can participate due to the very low cost of entry. Success for the individual is now firmly in their own hands.

There are a few ways to make money with Strongbrook Direct.

You can promote the company and its services and receive a commission when one of your referrals does business with Strongbrook.

You can build a sales team similar to a real estate brokerage where you act as leader/manager of your sales force and receive percentages on the sales they make.

After clients, who you or your team have brought into the company, purchase a combined 75 homes you are then awarded a $35,000 Home Bonus check. Use this however you wish but its purpose is to aid you in acquiring an investment real estate property thus increasing your knowledge and creating life-long wealth.

You can do one or both. I personally choose to do only the first one.

SEC Review of Kris Krohn and Strongbrook

Here is a topic that scares most people.

It’s funny how people assume an automatic guilty verdict when a complaint is raised or a legitimate investigation is done.

Take for example an individual who has been accused of a crime and later is found to have done nothing wrong.

Their name is forever blemished because of this accusation. Though the investigation probably helped to strengthen their case by its thoroughness and authority, public opinion remains negative.

I believe the same is true in this situation.

This investigation happened early on in the rapid growth of the company and those at the head were, like most of us, naive about the complexity of offering securities for raising working capital for further growth.

I will not pretend to know all the details of the investigation but having been associated with the company as a transacting client from only its second year of existence and experiencing the growing pains I feel I have a pretty good perspective.

And if you aren’t into reading legal jargon you can read this news release of the case in common verbiage HERE.

In my experience with this company there have been some disappointments as well as triumphs!

The success I and many others who I know have had, confirms to me that this company, the people, and the services they provide are truly beneficial for anyone wanting to get into real estate investing while eliminating the steep learning curve and being successful right out the gate.

I have enjoyed a growing personal portfolio year after year and education, direction, and support every step of the way.

There are many “coaching” or “education” only courses or programs you could buy into, but I am here to tell you from personal experience (I paid $9,000 last year for coaching in the Rich Dad Coaching program.) that none of them come close to what Strongbrook has put together.

There is a motto they go by which is, “We don’t just teach real estate, We Do Real Estate”.

As far as I know Strongbrook is the only group that actually Does the Investing For You and lets you keep 100% ownership and profits then teaches you how to manage and grow it properly!

7 Comments

Keith

Thank you for the information on Strongbrook and the detailed description of each part.

What can you tell me about Limitless? (http://limitlessmentor.com/TV/) It seems to have taken over much of the real estate investing functions of Strongbrook.

I have been watching Kris Krohn videos a lot on YouTube and he seems to be both sincere and authentic – which I hope mean honest, real, and not a scam.
I have also read his Straight Path book and enough details are provided to show that if done properly (an with a bit of expertise) it should work.

Please share any updated info you have on the ventures of Kris Krohn, Strongbrook, and Limitless.

Joe Nielsen

Strongbrook was the holding company for several companies that all worked together to make their unique offering. Once Strongbrook Direct imploded they decided it was time to rebrand and restructure. Strongbrook is still a holding company but is no longer a consumer-facing entity. Done For You Real Estate USA is the same group offering the same great service though now there is not a membership fee required to work with them.

Kris Krohn, the founder and most public figure of the group has turned the majority of his attention to a new venture called LimitLess.

I hope that helps.

DEliezer

Yes, no one can really tell with all these investment schemes until you actually go into the trenches to try it out.
What I have seen so far is that everyone is just out for a piece of your pie (including the banks that use your money money to trade and give you peanuts)
The relativity there is that your capital is more secure with some than the other. It’s the capitalist system – looking through it close is nothing more than a legalized fraud.

Joe Nielsen

Thanks for your comment.
I agree with you about not really knowing what these schemes are up to without actually doing it.
I am happy to report to you and others who may be reading this that I did and am still working with this group to expand my RE portfolio all across the country. This is the real deal because the proof is there for me and thousands of others including many close family members and friends.
Best of luck to you! If you have any questions feel free to contact me joe@NielsenConsulting.net

Joe Nielsen

You are most welcome! It’s difficult to determine if there are ulterior motives when speaking with a representative of any company so I tried to keep this post and others I write about Strongbrook clear, concise, and unbiased when necessary.